Category Archives: Advancing Macomb

The Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC), in partnership with the City of Mount Clemens and Macomb County, announce the kickoff of a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to install a universally accessible kayak and canoe launch at MacArthur Park located downtown Mount Clemens.

“Our goal is to raise $60,000 in 60 days,” states Anne Vaara, CRWC Executive Director. “If we reach our goal, the MSHDA and MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places will match our donations up to $50,000 for the MacArthur Park project.”

The park project will help create a link between the riverfront and downtown Mount Clemens, while enhancing MacArthur Park with improved facilities that will highlight a key recreational asset in the community and in the region. Additionally, the park will feature universally accessible restrooms, picnic tables, and kayak storage lockers, among many other amenities.

“Adding a universally accessible kayak launch at MacArthur Park will allow users of all abilities the opportunity to experience all that Mount Clemens and the Clinton River have to offer,” states Mayor Barbara Dempsey.

MacArthur Park was one of twelve kayak and canoe launch locations identified by the Clinton River Watershed Council through a grant provided by the Coastal Zone Management under CRWC’s WaterTowns program. It focuses on community-based place making initiatives to help towns and cities in the watershed leverage the assets of the Clinton River, its tributaries and Lake St. Clair for water-oriented community development. If their funding goal is reached, it will be the first universally accessible launch to be fully funded and installed.

Donations of any amount are accepted and appreciated.

“Every donor will receive a reward for their support, ranging from paddling accessories to on-site recognition at MacArthur Park, to naming rights or even an exclusive VIP paddle when the launch opens, are just a few,” states Beatty.

Recreational enthusiasts, residents and businesses alike can view the project video and help CRWC and the city reach their fundraising goal by making an online donation at Patronicity, or by contacting CRWC at 248-601- 0606.

This project is part of a larger initiative for the Clinton River watershed called WaterTownsTM. WaterTownsTM is a community-based initiative designed to help towns and cities in the watershed leverage the assets of the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair for water-oriented community development. The goals of the WaterTownsTM program are to develop a strong connection to the community, its surroundings and the Clinton River, to provide high-quality recreational and cultural amenities, promote and implement Green Infrastructure (GI) and climate preparedness, and celebrate the nature, history and culture of the community and the watershed. Since the inception of the program, CRWC has engaged 15 communities in the program from Auburn Hills in Oakland County to mouth of the river and Lake St. Clair in Harrison and Chesterfield Township in Macomb County. Linking communities throughout the watershed through this program will allow us to create a high quality destination right here in our own backyard!

The Clinton River watershed covers 760 square miles through four counties (Macomb, Oakland, Lapeer, and St. Clair). From its headwaters in Springfield Township, the Clinton River travels 80 miles and eventually empties into Lake St. Clair in Harrison Township. Over 1.4 million people live in the watershed’s 60 communities. The CRWC is a non-profit environmental organization that protects, enhances, and celebrates the Clinton River, its watershed, and Lake St. Clair.

Advancing Macomb has hit the ground pedaling in 2017 with the great success of Macomb County’s East Side Bike Drive bike collection. As the first-ever county-wide bike drive, we are all immensely grateful for everyone who made phase one possible. From our members, partners and volunteers to the cities and townships who provided collection points throughout the county. From inception to collection, the community spirit rose with great enthusiasm throughout and around Macomb County. Phase one yielded 800 bikes from eight communities across the county.

Phase two began earlier in January with two workshops to repair the bicycles – one in Mt. Clemens and another on the Detroit / Warren border. Workshops are taking place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from the beginning of January through the end of March.

WORKSHOP HOSTS

A big thanks to Tom Petzold for hosting a space at the Belmont Shopping Center. Tom and his head of maintenance, Fred Wolfe, stepped up immediately to help out. They have been wonderfully hospitable and provided great space!

VOLUNTEERS

Ten volunteers banded together in December to set up the Belmont site. It was an amazing display of team work – thank you everyone!

Now that the workshops are underway, we have a team of over 40 volunteers working together on bike repairs between both locations.

A special note must be given to Gary Babich. Since November, Gary has been going to the bike workshop every week to get the area prepped, the bikes sorted and identifying our primary needs for bike repairs. He, his wife Helga, and nephew have made great progress and are the very embodiment of community spirit.

BIKE COLLECTION

This would not have been possible without the enthusiastic participation of the cities and townships
throughout the county. A special thanks to the following individuals:

Deputy Clinton Township Supervisor Liz Vogel and Clinton Township Recreation Director Frank Pizzo. Liz and Frank’s enthusiasm was fun, positive and contagious! A huge thanks for not only collecting 200 bikes, but also being the best unofficial cheerleading squad a bike drive could ever ask for.

Roseville-Eastpointe Recreation Director Tony Lipinski and Cammie Kanakry. Tony and Cammie’s team collected almost 200 bikes. Combined with Clinton Township, these two communities assembled about half of the total collected bikes.

We would like to give a special thanks to Ken Koster and Larry Roy for doing several rounds of bike pick-ups. Without them, we would still be picking up bikes!

None of this would have been possible without the residents of Macomb County and neighboring
communities. Residents throughout our communities donated their bicycles to give every kid a chance to know the pleasure and freedom of riding a bicycle. Thank you for your generosity and loving spirits!

A big thank you to the attendees and supporters of our 2nd Annual Meeting. We are honored to have such a wonderful group of friends and Macomb county / Eastside supporters! Below you can download the presentation given by Vicki Rad at our 2nd Annual Meeting!

Tell us about the Chaldean community. Where is the origin of the community and where is the population most prevalent?
Chaldeans have a history dating all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia, and are indigenous to Iraq, Syria, and parts of Iran and Turkey. Iraq has the largest population of Chaldeans followed by Syria.
Chaldeans are Eastern Rite Catholics who have their own patriarch in Baghdad with the Pope being the highest authority. Chaldeans speak Aramaic, which is the oldest continuous language in the world and the language spoken by Jesus Christ.

Most Chaldeans in the Metro Detroit area are from Iraq and their situation has been likened to American Indians; in the wake of the Iraq War, Chaldeans and other religious minorities have been relentlessly persecuted and driven from their lands by Islamic fundamentalists.
Outside of the Middle East, Metro Detroit has the largest Chaldean population with 150,000 people. There are also Chaldean communities in California, Phoenix and Nevada, and a large Assyrian community in Chicago.

What inspired you to start the Chaldean Chamber and the Chaldean Community Foundation?

The Chamber was launched by a 15-member steering committee to help dispel the negative stereotypes that existed about Chaldeans. The Chamber has become major planning organization for our community. Most Chaldeans are business owners; in fact, 61% of households own at least one business. Major business concentrations include hospitality, food and beverage, wireless, restaurants and development.

We have also had a large influx of New Americans to this region due to the Iraq War and its consequences, thus the launch of the Chaldean Community Foundation to help these individuals become self-sustaining, productive members of society.

Tell us about the Chaldean Community in Macomb County.

The fastest-growing segment of our population is in Macomb County. We have sizable populations in Warren, Sterling Heights, Shelby Township and now even more so in Utica. The largest Chaldean Catholic Church, for example, is in Shelby Township and we also have a church in Sterling Heights and in Warren.

We recently built the Chaldean Community Foundation facility at 15 Mile and Ryan to help acculturate the New Americans. Since 2007 more than 30,000 Chaldeans have come to Michigan; 15,000 arrived as refugees and the other 15,000 as sponsored. We still have more than 800,000 displaced Christians in Iraq because of the ongoing genocide being perpetuated against Christians in the Middle East.

We are a resource not only to Chaldean families, but to all who need assistance. Our Foundation office in Sterling Heights serves more than 20,000 people a year, more than 15% of which are non-Chaldean, with English learning, career services, citizenship services, access to healthcare, and many other services. The center is a true community center open to all. Although it just opened we are already expanding because we need more parking. We have purchased the two adjacent lots and are working on building a long-term special-needs center for Macomb County as well.

Where is the best Chaldean food in Macomb?

Probably at a Chaldean household but if you can’t have dinner with a Chaldean family, I highly recommend Sahara Markets and Bakery, which have locations in Warren and Sterling Heights. That is the best food in Macomb County.

Are Chaldean businesses doing well in Macomb?

Yes, Chaldeans are blessed with an entrepreneurial spirit and strong work ethic. And as the Chaldean population grows, expect to see more Chaldean-owned business like shops, restaurants and markets, and other businesses attracted to serving this dynamic market. With the influx of New Americans you can see a lot of Chaldean owned business opening up in Macomb County.

What are the top priorities for new families in Macomb?

Many of our newly arrived families fled Iraq with nothing more than the clothes on their back, so have ongoing challenges dealing with general anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Our aim at the center is to help them become more independent from government subsidies and focus on helping them get on the right path as New Americans, mainly with access to new jobs and transportation. The goal is to make them become contributors to the local economy like the tens of thousands of Chaldeans who came to the United States before them. Chaldeans are mainly entrepreneurs and contribute almost $11 billion annually to Michigan’s economy.

What are your favorite destinations in Macomb?

I am becoming more and more familiar with Macomb; I haven’t been an Eastsider (although you guys are really cool people). I am really enjoying Lake St. Clair Metropark, CJ Barrymore’s and Jimmy John’s Field. There is so much that Macomb has to offer and hopefully one day I’ll make Macomb my home.

Why Advancing Macomb?

I love meeting people and our increased presence in Macomb County has been deeply satisfying on both the personal and professional level. I am honored to be associated with such a forward-thinking organization.

Encompassing the entire eastern border of the county, Lake St. Clair is a popular recreational lake. It is accessible in select places throughout the county, rich in wildlife and a primary connection point in the Detroit / Windsor region along the Great Lakes system.

Clinton River

Connecting six communities within Macomb County, the Clinton River reaches to the north into Oakland County and at the south end of the river into Lake St. Clair. The river is recently transforming into a recreational and community asset, providing easy access to water recreation for residents and visitors. It is also serving as a connection between communities.

Agricultural Land

As the basis for settling the county in its early years, the agricultural base in the county is both an economic driver and a unique natural resource that exists in abundance and is growing as an asset value. As a natural resource, this predominately vegetation-focused industry in Macomb adds to the natural environment and provides

Community Resources

Recreation

A combination of local and regional parks provide access to outdoor and recreation assets to residents. These parks integrate the natural features of our local communities and deliver those amenities to residents and visitors.

Trails

Beginning with an initial investment in the Macomb Orchard Trail system in the early 2000s, Macomb is constructing hike / bike trails throughout the county to increase non-motorized access.

Additionally, a combination of public entities and non-profit organizations are cleaning up the Clinton River to provide for paddling trails, giving more access to water recreation to residents and visitors.

Accessible education

Education from early childhood to K-12 to advanced- and higher education are accessible to residents across the county. Providing a social connection within communities, the education system also provides a comprehensive access to economic opportunities and personal development for residents.

Community variety

Ranging from densely urbanized suburban to less populated rural communities, Macomb offers places to call home for a variety of lifestyles. Community features can include waterfrontage, river access, water proximity, trail access, traditional downtowns, large-suburban and country-side attributes. Each of these communities are well-connected to the region as whole, making all of the region’s assets accessible to all Macomb residents.

Economic resources

Strong base industries

The automotive industry; defense industry vehicle development and logistics; and the technological advancement associated with these industries centralize in the Detroit Region. Macomb County is a primary source of development for these industries because of the location of key defense and automotive facilities.

Manufacturing

The Detroit Region’s manufacturing expertise is over 150 years old. This long-standing development of industry skills, specialized talents and evolution of process gives this area a competitive edge that is globally recognized. Macomb County has been and continues to grow manufacturing business with an expertise in vehicle assembly, mobility and production technology.

Food

As mentioned in the natural resources section, the county’s agricultural base is an economic driver and a unique natural resource that exists in abundance and is growing as an asset value. The local expertise in production and supply chain management facilitates the development of new food-based industries from the county’s long-standing farming community.

Connected commercial and industrial corridors

The Detroit-Windsor region is a bi-national trading hotbed that has seamless access to the global market. Situated in the eastern portion of the Detroit Region, Macomb’s infrastructure system allows for easy connection to the region at-large and global markets. The region itself is approximately 4 million residents (6.5 M in the 10 county greater region) and is approximately 50% of the Michigan’s GSP (Detroit-Warren MSA / Michigan, 2014 unchained real dollars)

Low barriers to market entry

With access to a wide variety of well-trained talent, low tax rates and access to a global client base, Macomb has a market that is open to entrepreneurs, large corporations and everything in between. This prime market access allows for business growth and has the ability to propagate high-value business clusters.

New Baltimore Marina
This public marina redevelopment will help provide additional public access to Lake St. Clair and support development throughout the community. New Baltimore is home to an historic downtown and public beach. This project will be a major addition to the waterfront assets in the Detroit Region for boaters and non-boaters alike.

Roseville downtown redevelopment
The City of Roseville is at the intersection of 4 main corridors in Macomb County. These corridors are major regional corridors that connect the community and economic assets throughout the Detroit Region. The city has embarked on an aggressive redevelopment strategy that includes the successful redevelopment of the Macomb Mall and several established properties throughout the city. Roseville was the first city in Michigan to attain “Redevelopment Ready” status.

Macomb Children’s Museum
A project proposed by a several key community leaders in Macomb County, the Macomb Children’s Museum seeks to provide a “hands-on” experience for children throughout Macomb and the Detroit Region. The museum will provide the basis for STEAM education in order to encourage continued technical capability in our children and future talent base.

Water Towns
Organized by the Clinton River Watershed, the WaterTowns program provides a basis for place-making and environmental stewardship for communities located along the Clinton River.

Macomb Bike Trails
Spearheaded by the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development, the bike trails program seeks to develop a 70-mile loop through the county and connection to the state-wide Iron Belle trail system. Building on the already popular Macomb Orchard Trail and Freedom Trail, the county will be completing new trail connections in the fall of 2016 and spring of 2017.

Advancing Macomb conducted numerous interviews in earlier part of 2016. From these interviews, the board of directors identified five ground-level projects as integral to the vision of creating an enriching environment to live, learn, recreate, innovate and conduct business. These are projects that we are adopting to serve as starting points for the larger strategic plan and asset inventory. The final five projects represent all three focus areas – community investment, economic development and natural resource protection.

Advancing Macomb Projects

Roseville 12 Mile and Gratiot improvements and tree planting

Macomb blue and green trail marketing

WaterTowns Mt. Clemens paddling launch

Manufacturing marketing and programs

Eastside Bike Drive

The East Side Bike Drive originated from Advancing Macomb as an introductory project for the organization to serve the community as a whole and help support some of the interviewed projects. A model project from Utica, New York was used as an example and road map to designing our project.

Roseville’s downtown redevelopment and the Macomb Greening initiative resulted in blending two separate projects. In the strategic planning process, AM identified 12 Mile road as a key corridor in Macomb. As a major cross section of 12 mile, the city of Roseville is a fundamental access point to the corridor. Both the city of Roseville and Macomb County Planning identified redevelopment, beautification and greening of several intersections in Roseville. By investing in the redevelopment and greening along this corridor, we will help support community and environmental sustainability.

A paddling and peddling marketing project that will support and promote the assets in the county, Advancing Macomb will produce a promotional piece for Macomb’s blue and green trails. In conjunction with Macomb County Planning and The Clinton River Water Shed, Advancing Macomb will develop an access map for trails throughout the county. This map will show local amenities and trail access points throughout the county.

The Clinton River is one of the most prevalent assets identified in the AM strategic plan. Board members expressed the river’s importance to the Macomb’s environmental integrity and the potential for economic development and community enhancement. Advancing Macomb would like to support a series of projects identified in the Water Towns program to enhance access to the river and amenities associated with those access points. For the first year, we recommend supporting the project in Mt. Clemens to build out paddling launches and amenities.

Advancing Macomb will design a messaging platform for manufacturing in Macomb County. The platform will include a message strategic plan, stakeholders and support for a series of programs and projects. Initial projects identified are: Macomb Business Awards, Manufacturers’ Engage and Manufacturing Day.

Food plays a bigger and bigger role in our lives. It’s delicious at your table and it’s a delicious part of a growing sector in our economy. Melissa Anders talked about the established and growing food businesses in her last article with Advancing Macomb. This week we are taking a peek at Agritourism in Macomb County.

Agritourism generally defined involves activities that bring visitors to a farm or ranch. Examples common to Macomb County are farm stands, corn mazes, picking fruit and feeding animals. Agritourism has been popular in Italy where visitors stay overnight on a farm and in France where visitors are drawn to a particular niche industry – namely, wine. Locally, new niche markets are massively expanding Macomb’s agritourism footprint: orchards have grown in popularity as have tasting rooms, dairy farms and sheep farms. Macomb offers healthy, nutritious produce and food items and a myriad of activities to experience the food. As one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel industry, it offers great exposure to working farms, wineries and the agriculture industry.

“Promoting Agritourism in Macomb County seems like such a natural fit, particularly here in Northern Macomb. Not only can farm and agriculturally based activities serve as an economic driver for what I call “agripreneurs” (small to midscale farm based businesses), but it also serves to promote areas of the county as unique and fun places to visit and support. “ Susan Schmitt Park Manager Wolcott Mill Metropark.

Outdoor adventuring that includes entertainment, education, shopping and dining to add to this fun experience. Macomb County is well represented with intriguing destinations. This is the crossroads of tourism and agriculture. Families, couples, and groups can take advantage by participating in activities together — shopping in the country store, picking apples and peaches, blueberries and strawberries.

It’s a fun day that gives consumers a taste of farm production and agriculture’s rich history out where the air is fresh as the apples and cider. We can now plan an AgriTour in Macomb – making a day trip around the county in our own version of the land of milk and honey.

It’s a 250-acre working farm featuring a wide variety of other animals, miniature and draft horses, sheep and goats and farm fowl. You can also visit the greenhouse and gardens and take a horse-drawn wagon ride through the crop fields when available.

Westview Orchards

http://www.westvieworchards.com/

Macomb County’s oldest family farm is the result of six generations of family dedication. It’s 188 acres of fruit trees and crops including strawberries, apples, peaches, cherries, pears, nectarines, sweet corn, raspberries and fall vegetables. The farm also features a modern cider mill, bakery and an ice cream and sweet shop.

In business at the same location for 95 years they specialize in high quality products and friendly customer service. Open all year with “fruit in season” from strawberries, cherries, plums and sun-ripened peaches to grapes, pears and a full fall harvest of all your favorite apple varieties. Cider slush, Cameo, Braeburn, and Ida Red apples, eggs, honey, maple syrup, potatoes, donuts, pies, coffee cakes, cookies, onions, frozen fruit, preserves, jelly, popcorn, fresh breads, pickled beets, maple syrup, candy, and much more!

You can have a wooly time with the goats visiting the farm shop and soap making. Located off-the-beaten-path in rural Armada Township in northern Macomb County you can take time with Kentucky Rocky Mountain Saddle horses and Oberhasli dairy goats, my small flock of Shetland sheep, a few laying hens for fresh eggs, dogs, cats and pet Lion-head rabbits. It’s the home of wooly Tyme Shetlands and Kids Play Dairy Goats even offering farm classes.

Greg and Dory decided they did like store bought milk so they decided to they began to pasteurize their own milk in a two-gallon processor. It’s all about the flavor so in 1981 they put in their own processing plant. They found the flavor did not change and it lasted 17 to 18 days without preservatives. They like the old-fashioned process and their grandchildren and customers rave about the quality

This historic farm started in 1946 and its was one of the very first “Pick Your Own” orchards in Michigan. Blakes have expanded their operation to three separate locations with over 500 acres of orchard and farmland consisting of pick-your-own apples, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, pumpkins, assorted vegetables and U-cut Christmas trees. Famous for their award winning apple cider it’s an entertainment farm featuring train rides, pony rides, hayrides, cornfield mazes, several animated attractions and many other family oriented activities. Check their schedule they have a lot of activities year round.

With a scenic overlook, Hy’s with its scenic overlook is a great way to spend a day picking apples and drinking fresh cider from the working mill. It offers an incredible variety of apples and you can pick your date for harvest.

It’s acres and acres of orchard, farm and fields of sweet fruit, fresh vegetables and tasty herbs. A marketplace of farm fresh produce, made-from-scratch baked goods, gourmet condiments and other exceptional local products. Experience the aroma, sights and sounds of cider making and the taste of homemade donuts and caramel apples. Have a picnic, visit the petting farm, take a hayride, get lost in a corn maze, climb a straw mountain and even pick your own fruit. Add weekends for an evening bonfire, visit the pit smokehouse with pulled pork sandwiches and delicious cider marinated chicken, cooked over apple wood. You can even schedule an educational tour, take a class or attend special events peppered throughout the year. There is a lot to experience at Millers!

Advancing Macomb Board member featured this issue is Vice Chair, Barbara Rossmann, president and CEO of Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals. Rossmann’s commitment to the southeast Michigan region extends beyond her work through Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals. She serves as a board member for the Sterling Heights Regional Chamber, the Alliance for Advancing Nonprofit Healthcare, the Michigan chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives; the Macomb Health Plan; the Families Against Narcotics Advisory Board; the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine Statewide Campus System; the 5/3 Bank Eastern Division Board of Directors, as vice chair of the Southeast Michigan Red Cross board, and a member of the Michigan Hospital Association’s Legislative Policy Panel.

What does Macomb mean to you?

Mark Hackel’s Make Macomb Your Home campaign really rings true for me. The community values align very much with my personal values. When I transitioned within the hospital from the COO position to CEO in 2004, it gave me an opportunity to be even closer to our community…really to give me an understanding of our different cultures and differing needs.

As I’ve come to know and truly love Macomb County, I have developed a passion for not only advancing the services available when our community needs health care, but also reaching out to serve in a very different way. I believe our future as a county rests in our abilities to think outside the box. We must forge innovative relationships, and partnerships that ensure the best use of community resources. Fortunately, innovation and a commitment to continuous improvements in quality of life are core drivers for Macomb County’s future.

Does Macomb have the talent of tomorrow for health care?

Yes. Because of the innovative, talented and entrepreneurial nature of the county, we have been able to develop and staff the basic and advanced care our region needs and deserves..

Within Macomb Community College and Baker College, we have superior resources and partnerships to further enhance health care locally. We have talent working both within the hospital setting and outside of the hospital – moving to population health – taking care of health care within the community. Through emerging population health initiatives, health care systems, agencies and organizations are learning to work more closely together in order to improve the health outcomes of the communities we collectively serve. For example, at Henry Ford Macomb, we have formal relationships with schools, churches, even those fighting opioid addiction, in order to impact health BEFORE people come to the hospital. Essentially, hospitals are moving their health care delivery out of the hospital and into the community, keeping health care closer to home.

What does Macomb offer for health and health care?

We have a great blend of amazing health care organizations in McLaren Macomb, St. John Macomb, Troy Beaumont and Henry Ford Macomb. Each system offers very fine physicians that support the organizations and the community.

Because there are many external factors comprising a person’s health – social, environmental and the community in which you live — community attributes are important. In Macomb, we can go any place and do anything. Walking and bike trails, parks, the waterways, health education….. Is it everything? No, I think we could do better in the county for more holistic stress reduction solutions. Solutions such as massage, reiki, acupuncture to replace traditional methods of medicating stress relief.

Mt. Clemens evolved from its history as destination for mineral baths, an early example of non-traditional health care. Health and wellness– outside of traditional medical care – are foundational to Mt. Clemens and Macomb County.

What are Macomb’s health challenges?

We aren’t as healthy as we need to be. We have high instances of high-blood pressure, diabetes, congestive heart failure, COPD, emphysema. There is also a serious problem with opioid addiction. It’s everywhere, in every generation and in every socio-economic class.

Tell me about Henry Ford’s presence in Macomb?

It is my goal for Henry Ford to be a substantive part of the community, and to ensure that we are doing what is necessary to serve the community. Our collective commitment to Macomb County recognizes our role in the future. Henry Ford is the fifth largest employer in the county, and counts more than 900 of the region’s top doctors among its medical staff members. I am extremely proud of the nationally recognized quality we are delivering. At the same time, we recognize that a hospital can be an intimidating, scary place. You come to us often in your most vulnerable state – and we ask you to disrobe and to trust us! My promise to the patients and families we serve is that we will do everything possible to make you welcome, to make you comfortable, and to provide loving, embracing care – whether it’s in the hospital or out in the community.

What are your favorite destinations in Macomb?

I love driving around the county and discovering new places…going into the northern part of the county and wandering around. On the weekends my husband and I will sometimes go driving, find a dirt road and follow it. On our last outing, we pleasantly landed at the Crooked Creek Dairy – and what a wonderful surprise!

I hope that we are able to appreciate our history as a farming community and not let that fade away.

The trails are amazing and our commitment to the trails is amazing. I love Partridge Creek. When my grandkids visit, we really enjoy taking them to the orchards. None of these are in order of preference – we have so many options in Macomb, you can really choose what fits your mood at a particular time.

Why Advancing Macomb?

Our role with Advancing Macomb is to bring business leaders together from all sectors to advance our vision for Macomb.

We have a commitment to raise money to make substantive statements in the community…about what is important in the community.

Tell me about Barbara Rossmann. What is a core value for you?

Personally – it’s family. In business – I’m driven by partnerships and relationships and accountability based on the commitments we’ve made.

People and community are top priorities for me. I served in a community in Texas before moving to Michigan as the Chief Nursing Officer with Mercy Health Services in Farmington Hills. In corporate roles, you aren’t as connected to the community and I wanted to get back to where health care is truly delivered – in the community, with the community.

Advancing Macomb originated because of a professional and business involvement and it has become a personal commitment. It’s about the people in the community and the relationships in the organization.